WILLEMSTAD - The opposition party in parliament, MAN, has raised significant concerns in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas. The faction has learned through media reports that the government is considering a proposal to charge Aqualectra, the public utility company, a substantially high tariff for energy delivery. This tariff would then be paid to Global Oil by Refineria di Korsou (RdK) instead of Aqualectra.
Global Oil, a private entity, has received the turbines from RdK in a deal that the opposition describes as lacking transparency. The MAN faction demands clarity on whether this high tariff payment proposal is accurate and formally endorsed.
The opposition highlights that such a move would divert funds meant for the national treasury, derived from RdK dividends, or reserves intended for investment, into the coffers of Global Oil. They express concern that public funds are at risk of being allocated to a private company rather than benefiting the country's finances.
Prime Minister Pisas recently mentioned that he had tasked the Regulatory Authority Curaçao (RAC, formerly known as BTP) with calculating a fair tariff for Global Oil to charge Aqualectra.
In response to this, the MAN faction has posed several questions to the prime minister. They seek the results of RAC/BTP’s tariff calculations and inquire about the expected completion date if the calculations are still pending.
Additionally, MAN wants to know the annual financial impact of the proposed tariff that Global Oil aims to charge Aqualectra. They emphasize the importance of understanding whether the government is aware that having RdK pay Global Oil instead of Aqualectra essentially means redirecting public funds to a private entity.
The faction insists on transparency and accountability from the government to ensure that public interests are safeguarded in these financial arrangements.